Anna Mae Bullock most popularly known as Tina Turner was born on the 26th of November 1939 to parents Zelma Priscilla and Floyd Richard Bullock, she is a singer, dancer, actress and author. Tina Turner has become one of the most commercially-successful international female rock stars to date.
Anna Mae Bullock and her elder sister were abandoned by their parents early in their life and they went to live with their grandmother. After her grandmother’s death, she eventually moved to St. Louis, Missouri to reunite with her mother.
This opened up a whole new world of R&B nightclubs to the precocious 16-year-old. Called up to sing on-stage with Ike Turner’s Kings of Rhythm in 1956, she displayed a natural talent for performing which the band leader was keen to develop.
Tina Turner moved to St. Louis, Missouri, in the 1950s and met Ike Turner, a musician with whom she began to perform and record. In the early ’60s, they became known as the Ike and Tina Turner Review, achieving popular acclaim for the powerful live performances and recordings.
During the 1960s, Ike and Tina recorded a number of hits, including the legendary ‘River Deep, Mountain High’ with producer Phil Spector, and their signature hit ‘Proud Mary’ (1971). Their live shows, filled with high-energy performances, had quickly become the talk of the soul circuit and were known by a new name: The Ike and Tina Turner Revue.
They toured successfully throughout the decade, including in England, where they toured with the Rolling Stones. In all appearances, the Turner couple were a resounding success, both personally and professionally.
With their popularity growing, Ike and Tina were married in Tijuana, Mexico, in 1962, and two years later their son, Ronnie, was born. Tina and Ike’s marriage was in shambles.
In 1976, the couple separated both personally and professionally, and in 1978, they were officially divorced, with Tina citing Ike’s physically abusive behaviour, frequent infidelities and increasing drug and alcohol use. In the years following her divorce, Tina’s solo career got off to a slow a slow start.
In 1982, Tina won a solo deal with Capitol Records. They released the album ‘Private Dancer’ in 1984 and by that summer, world sales reached 11 million. Tina had truly reached the big time, on her own.
The ‘Private Dancer’ (1984) album had no less than three top ten singles: ‘Private Dancer’, ‘Better Be Good To Me’, and the massive ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’ which spent three weeks at number one on the charts.
This single was later winner of a Grammy award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (February 1985). In 1991, she was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame, as well as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
On 7 October 1999, she received the Lifetime Achievement prize at the MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall, London. Amongst her fans are David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Bryan Adams, and Mark Knopfler.
She had become a legend in her own time, the singer performed alongside Beyonce Knowles at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in 2008, her first major appearance in a number of years.